I attempted Google’s secret Gallery app. Here is the way it beats Google Images

Google Images is, indubitably, certainly one of Google’s finest apps/companies. It’s my photograph library app of selection, housing 10+ years of images, movies, and random screenshots I’ve collected after over a decade of use. Paired with some fairly nice photo-editing instruments, it’s a type of Google apps I don’t know what I’d do with out.

Nonetheless, it’s not the one photograph library app in Google’s portfolio.

As many individuals found this week, Google has its very personal various to Images. It’s referred to as Google Gallery, and it’s a a lot completely different app in comparison with Google Images. As a substitute of displaying your whole Google Images library, the Gallery app solely reveals footage saved domestically in your cellphone. It additionally has far more restricted enhancing instruments, no AI integrations, and no cloud syncing.

Google Gallery is, objectively, a far inferior app in comparison with Google Images. So, what’s the massive deal then? I put in Gallery on my Android cellphone to search out out, and after just some minutes of utilizing it, I discovered one massive benefit over Google Images.

From a design standpoint, Google Gallery is stable. It’s damaged up into two pages: Images and Folders. The previous reveals a reverse chronological listing of your pictures, whereas the latter teams all the pieces collectively by its respective folder (digicam, screenshots, downloads, and so forth.). It’s exactly what you’d count on, and it really works effectively.

There’s additionally an optionally available darkish theme, some primary enhancing instruments (filters and crop), an automated picture enhancer, and … that’s about it. There’s far much less to distract you than what you discover in Google Images, and if that’s what you’re after, Google Gallery has you coated.

As a lot as I just like the simplistic design, my favourite factor concerning the Gallery app is that it’s essentially the other of Google Images.

The Google Images app is phenomenal for trying again on reminiscences and scrolling by means of my years-long library. That mentioned, it’s not superb for locating on-device recordsdata. It’s technically attainable by way of the Collections web page within the app, however even then, you may solely view photos by the folders they’re in.

As a result of the Gallery app works totally offline and doesn’t connect with your Google account, you solely see recordsdata saved domestically in your cellphone. As such, all the pieces you see in the principle Images tab is all stuff taking on valuable inner cupboard space. And holy moly, do I’ve loads of footage on my OnePlus 13.

Since I exploit Google Images completely as my one and solely gallery app, that’s what I spend my time cleansing up and organizing. I repeatedly delete pictures/screenshots I don’t need saved, which retains my cloud library good and tidy. Nonetheless, the identical doesn’t occur with my offline recordsdata. I can discover them in Google Images if I would like, however since they’re hidden behind a couple of layers of various pages, they’re out of sight and out of thoughts.

Inside minutes, Google Gallery made me conscious of all of the junk recordsdata saved on my OnePlus 13 greater than Google Images ever did. Between screenshots, downloaded recordsdata, and saved photos from Telegram, there’s a load of rubbish on my cellphone that’s higher off being deleted. And, because of Google Gallery, discovering it was simpler than ever.

Is Google Gallery a Google Images substitute? Not even a bit of bit. Nonetheless, as a companion to Images, the Gallery app has rather a lot to supply. If it’s been some time because you’ve assessed your cellphone’s storage, and also you assume photos are taking on an excellent chunk of it, Google Gallery is a good way to see what’s in your cellphone. And even if you happen to don’t must delete stuff, it’s only a good, easy solution to view your on-device pictures — particularly if you happen to’re with out or have a weak web connection.

Is there any cause to not use Google Gallery? A few them come to thoughts. For one, Focus Go is one other offline gallery app that serves the identical basic function as Google Gallery. I haven’t used it, however my colleague Rita did, and he or she referred to as Focus Go the free photograph gallery app she’s all the time needed. It’s price testing if you happen to’re taken with this kind of utility.

The opposite cause is that there’s no telling what the longer term holds for Google Gallery. It’s in an excellent place right now and works rattling effectively for what it’s, but it surely additionally looks like an app that might be first in line at any time when Google has its subsequent culling of undesirable merchandise.

Google Gallery was first launched in 2019 as “Gallery Go,” again when Google was nonetheless investing in its Android Go initiative. The final Go Version Android replace was when Google launched Android 14 Go in 2023, and it’s obvious that Google has grown much less and fewer taken with the entire “Go” undertaking in recent times. That’s to not say the Gallery app will disappear tomorrow, however I wouldn’t be stunned if Google removes it throughout the subsequent yr or two.

Nonetheless, if you happen to like what you see with Google Gallery and need to strive it, have at it. The app is free to obtain, takes up barely any house, and is a good way to handle your cellphone’s native photograph storage. Simply possibly don’t get too hooked up to it.